Southern Song dynasty (1127-1279)
Jian ware (stoneware with temmoku glaze)
2.25 x 3 inches diam.
2001.29

This small bowl used for drinking tea is an exceptional example both of the Southern Song frame of mind and of wares produced at the Jian kilns. This type was favored by emperors, scholars, and officials. Its simplicity is perfect, its gracious shape ideally suited for the hands. The refined, lustrous, dark glaze made of iron oxides is deep and rich. Close inspection reveals tiny streaks called “hare’s fur” markings, created when minute crystals in the blackish-brown temmoku glaze coagulated and flowed into air bubbles during firing.

Rawson, pp. 363, 368
Sullivan, pp. 154-155, 186-193